Shattered
by staceycity
Summary: It continues right from where the episode of when William falls to his death ends. Calleigh is in the morgue, and we never get Eric getting to her. So here it is.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Calleigh was in the morgue after a long and brutal day at work, trying to come to terms with the events that happened earlier. She was bent down, holding William's hand in hers, recalling that moment, as his hand slipped through her's while she screamed as she watched him fall to his death. She shut her eyes and tried to breathe.

Why couldn't she cry again?

She wanted to cry and yet she couldn't seem to bring herself to do so. It was like since that moment when rescuers had helped Eric out of the rubble that had prevented him from helping her to hold onto William and pull him up, Calleigh couldn't seem to shed another tear. She had locked all of the emotions away somehow to continue the search of the killer that William had told them about in the first place, and of course they had to find out who killed him.

She felt a hand rest on her shoulder, and Calleigh knew without needing to look up who it was.

'I had to come here' she whispered.

'I know Cal. You need closure' he whispered sympathetically 'Why don't you come with me now? It's time to go' Eric told her. He knew that now, Calleigh was going to be difficult. She had shut her emotions in, the walls that protect her heart where up again, and Eric was going to have a hard time getting them down. Yes even he was going to have a hard time doing so.

She didn't answer him, so Eric bent slightly down and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and Calleigh let him pull her in his arms. She turned around, burying her face in his chest as her arms wrapped around his waist. She felt one hand cup the back of her head while the other one remained around her waist. His lips pampered the top of her head and as he lingered in one particular kiss, Calleigh shut her eyes, seeing William fall yet again.

'I have to get out of here. I can't take this anymore' she told him.

'Come one let's go' Eric replied.

She dropped her hands from around his waist and without looking back to see the body, let Eric close him up again. She closed her eyes as she heard the small door close and as Eric wrapped his arm around her they walked away.

oooOOOooo

She let him walk her inside, and as she continued walking deeper into her apartment, Calleigh didn't bother to turn on the lights. She wanted to stay in the dark. He could see that so he kept the lights off, and just narrowed slightly the curtains for some natural light to slip through. He prepared a cup of tea for her and waited on the couch for her to come back, but when the minutes passed and she still hadn't showed up, Eric walked over to her bedroom.

He found her curled up on her side, still in her work clothes, staring at the wall. It broke his heart to see her like that, but he could understand. William had literally slipped through her hand to his death, and Calleigh blamed herself.

He walked slowly towards her, with the cup of tear in his hands, as he placed it on her bedside table and slowly sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. He reached his hand out and started stroking her head, down to her cheeks. He stared at her and played the events again in his head. He could see the crane coming towards them and he knew that he was already too far away from her to save her. Those split moments, all he feared was loosing her. Eric closed his eyes and shivered.

'Cold?' she asked him as she felt him shiver, still staring at the wall.

'No. Just pictured that moment I realized that you were in danger and I was too far away' he replied honestly and Calleigh finally looked at him, and even though it was dark, somehow their eyes still connected 'I could have lost you' he whispered.

Calleigh shifted as she finally sat herself up in a sitting position pulling her legs to her chest, as she wrapped her arms around them to protect herself.

'I can't think about that Eric. I can't be selfish and think that I could have died in that accident' Calleigh whispered 'It's not fair' she told him 'Maybe it would have been better if I did' she whispered and Eric moved closer to her, placing one hand on her legs while with the other one he cupped her face urgently.

'Don't say that' he told her his eyes wild in fear.

'Why not?' she asked him with a shrug.

'Do you have any idea how scared I was when I saw the crane moving in? When I realized that I couldn't come to you? When you called me and I was stuck under the rubble and I couldn't come?' Eric told her urgently 'Calleigh listen to me...look at me' he told her as moved his hand closer to hers. It took her a moment to manage to look in his eyes though 'I don't know what I would have done if you had gotten hurt Cal' he told her.

'You would eventually get another partner and get over it' she told him. The words she was saying...they weren't her. She was in so much pain, she couldn't seem to understand the danger she had been in, what she means to him.

'Cal...you don't know what you're saying. Do you think I can ever get over loosing you if God forbid it happens?' he told her as he closed his eyes. A sudden picture of her lying face down on the floor popped up in his head and Eric had to drop his hand from her and get up. He was starting to feel suffocated. He needed to pace, to breathe.

Calleigh looked at him, somehow realized that he was terrified, that she hadn't even asked him how he was doing.

'Eric...come here' she told him.

He turned around and looked at her. She was sitting with her legs crossed in front of her now, so Eric walked over to her and sat down in front of her. She reached out her hand and cupped the side of his face.

'I'm sorry I haven't even asked how you're doing' she told him.

'All I can think about is the fact that you could have gotten seriously injured...that you could have died...that the floor underneath you could have gave away and...' he trailed off again and closed his eyes as tears slipped through his eyes catching her off guard 'I'm rattled at that thought Cal' he admitted and she could see how seriously frightened he was for her.

'I was scared for you too' she told him 'I wanted to come to you but I couldn't...and after William fell...it was like I was paralyzed' she told him.

'I know' he whispered 'I could see you on your knees crying and damn it I couldn't get out. I wanted to come to you and pull you in my arms, protect you, share your tears and pain, and I couldn't move Cal' he told her.

Calleigh took his hands into hers and realized that focusing on his pain was helping her to ignore hers 'But you did. You came to me as soon as you were free. You pulled me in your arms and practically cradled me in your arms as I cried on your chest' she told him.

'And that is all I wanna do right now' Eric told her 'Hold you and cradle you in my arms. I want to make you feel safe Cal, I want you to be able to let go in my arms and cry for as long as you need to' Eric told her.

'I can't. I can't cry' she told him 'I feel like crying but I just...I just can't bring myself to do it' she told him 'But you can hold me' she told him with a shrug.

He shifted a bit, resting one leg on the bed and the other one on the floor so Calleigh could move into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and locked his hold on her, resting his chin on her head, tears slipping down his cheeks as he rocked her. Her ear was right on his heart. She could hear his heart pound wildly, and she knew that it was because of how scared he was of loosing her. He rocked them both as his heart started slipping to its normal pace, and Calleigh started calming down herself, slipping into the music of his heartbeat, and it wasn't until a tear dropped in the valley of her chest that she realized that she had started crying again.

'I'm crying' she whispered as she shivered in his arms 'I'm crying' she repeated.

'Cry Calleigh...let it all out. I'm here' he told her 'I'm here to hold you. I'll protect you' Eric whispered. Usually such word would have bothered her. She would have protested that she didn't need anyone to protect her, that she was a grown up woman, a CSI who could take care of herself, but today, right now, she needed his protection, his comforting arms to hold her, and try to mend her broken self.

She burst into tears and Eric cried with her as he kept on rocking them both while Calleigh watched William fall to his death, and Eric watched Calleigh run for her life.

They had no idea for how long they had cried in each other's arms, but when the tears finally subsided it was too late into the night and Calleigh didn't want to be alone.

She was a complete wrack, with no ounce of strength to even remove her clothes 'Stay' she whispered.

'OK' Eric simply replied.

He let his arms drop so Calleigh could change but just laid back down.

'Cal, you need to change' he told her.

'I don't have the strength' she replied her eyes practically shut.

'Here let me help you' he told her.

He helped her up in a sitting position and very carefully he removed her red blouse off her. In normal circumstances, his eyes would have dropped to her breasts but his mind was still unbalanced from all of the emotions they had just been through. He helped her out of her black trousers, reached for her pajama shorts and tank top and helped her putting them on. He then undid the snap of her bra and removed it for her, careful not to touch her breasts. She was well aware of everything that he was doing, and just for tonight she didn't mind. Come morning she might think differently, but tonight she needed him on so many levels.

He tucked her under the sheets then and leaned down to kiss her forehead, when Calleigh grabbed his wrist.

'Get into bed' she whispered 'I need you Eric. I need you to hold me through the night' she told him.

'Are you sure?' he asked her.

'Please' she whispered.

'OK' he replied.

He moved to the other side and removed his clothes so he was just in his boxers. He then slipped under the sheets next to her, turned on his side and wrapped his arm around her. She moved closer to him, resting her head on his arm, so she could drown in his embrace, as he enveloped her, his legs wrapped around hers.

'Eric' she whispered.

'Yes' he whispered.

'I love you' she whispered before her eyes closed.

'I love you too Cal...more than you know' Eric replied before kissing her head and slipping into the night with Calleigh in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

 _They heard the noise and Eric realized that a crane was moving towards them._

' _Get down' he yelled 'Get down' as he ran away his eyes on Calleigh to make sure she was following suit, but the crane was getting closer, as it stormed into the glass and Calleigh ran._

 _The next thing he knew he was on the floor as the rubble blocked him from getting out freely, and the last thing he heard was Calleigh screaming._

' _Calleigh…Calleigh, can you hear me?' he called out._

 _But there was no answer._

' _Calleigh' he yelled._

 _He tried to move the heavy pieces of rubble that blocked his movement and somehow he managed to shift and finally get out and yet, Calleigh still hadn't replied to his call._

' _Calleigh' he yelled again as he stepped over the rubble, and then his eyes settled on her._

' _Calleigh' he gasped, his mouth wide, brows furrowed as he stared at her body lying on the floor for a split second._

 _He quickly regained control of his body and ran towards her. He turned her around and her eyes were closed, blood covered her gorgeous face, red became part of the blonde locks, and the energy that once consumed her body was gone._

' _Calleigh…Cal…open your eyes…open your eyes' Eric begged her as he tapped her face 'Calleigh…NNNOOOOOOO'_

And Eric shot up in bed, his heart pounding savagely in his chest, sweat dripping down his face as he stared into the dark. It took him a long moment to realize where he was until he heard the soft snore next to him. His head darted to his right and there she was sound asleep. He let out a long breath of relief and swallowed hard at the shock of nightmare he just had.

'It was just a nightmare' he told himself 'Just a nightmare. She's fine' he whispered.

He took a moment to look at her…really look at her as he watched her sleep. No make-up, no work clothes, just her being her in the comfort of her house. She had even let him undress her and dress her up again in her pajama. Who would have thought that she was have let her guard down this way. Sure she had been flirting with him lately as they stole a glance or brushed against each other, or a silly comment that would make them both giggle like idiots, and Eric laughed at all those precious moments. He had been longing for something like this moment for weeks now, months even, to be here in her bed. He just wished it was under different circumstances though.

He laid back down on his back and took a deep breath. It looked like he was not going to fall asleep straight away, so he turned on his side to look at her. Admire the view for as long as he could, until his eyes went shut again, and drifted back to sleep.

oooOOOooo

' _Hold onto my hand' she told him 'Give me your hand' she told him._

' _Calleigh' he cried._

 _She frowned as she realized that it wasn't William who had been holding onto her hand. His face was gone._

 _But she had just seen his face…and now it was Eric's face and Calleigh couldn't understand._

' _Eric…hold onto me. Don't let go' she told him as she extended her other arm 'Somebody help me' she yelled with no one around to listen._

' _Calleigh' he called out._

' _Eric…hold onto my hand' she begged him._

' _I can't' he replied…and then his fingers slipped through her hand and his eyes went wide as he fell onto his back, his eyes staring straight into hers as he screamed and she screamed…_

'NNNOOOOO…NNNOOOOO…ERICCCCC' she cried as Calleigh stood up sobbing hard, her face buried into her hands, as she shook in place with heart breaking tears streaming down her face.

At the sound of her screaming his name, Eric's eyes flew open and immediately got up on his knees, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her to him.

'Calleigh I'm here. I'm here' he told her 'Ssshhh…calm down…it's just a nightmare' he whispered adoringly as he cradled her in his arms, his cheek resting against the top of her head, his hand stroking the side of her face.

Her hands were still pressed hard against her face, as she sobbed hard in his chest.

'Hey…hey…ssshhh…calm down Cal' he whispered.

It took her a long moment since she finally managed to calm down. She knew that he was safe, that he was alive. She knew the minute he got up and wrapped his arms around her that it was him, but she couldn't seem to stop crying. It had been so clear. She had seen him falling to his death so clear in her dream, as William's face turned into Eric's.

He felt her calm down then, and very carefully pulled her face out of his chest. He took her hands in his, bringing them down to rest on her thighs, so he could see her face. It was wet from all the tears she shed. He wiped her tears away as he brought his palm up to her cheek, and softly traced his hand down her face.

'Do you want to talk about it?' he asked her.

She glanced his way, her broken eyes connecting with his, as she lifted a shaking hand to his face.

'You're safe…you're…alive…you're here…with me' she whispered, still finding it hard to calm down completely. Eric realized that she had been seeing him falling, that the tears she was shedding were at his expense, for the fear of losing him 'I keep seeing you fall' she whispered, and Eric closed his eyes.

'I'm here Cal, I'm here' he told her 'It's just a nightmare' he whispered, and Calleigh nodded.

'Do you want to lie back down?' he asked her.

'Just hold me Eric. Don't let me go' she begged him.

'I won't Cal…I won't' he promised.

oooOOOooo

It was about three hours later when Calleigh finally opened her eyes and as she glanced on her left, she realized that Eric was not there beside her. He had told her that he was going to hold her in his arms, that he wasn't going to leave. For a moment, she was going to panic, but then she thought maybe he just needed to use the bathroom, or maybe he got hungry and helped himself to the kitchen.

She sat up on the edge of the bed, and looked down at herself, recalling last night's events. She had let him undress her. She had let him help her into her pajamas. She had let him sleep in her bed. Hold her through the night. She had let him see her cry.

Who was she anymore?

It was like she couldn't recognize herself. The old Calleigh wouldn't have let anyone see her in that state. Now he was going to worry, and she didn't want that. She didn't want anyone to worry. She was strong. She was a woman who didn't need anyone.

She needed to put her act back together, and get back to her normal life, her normal routine. She needed to get back to the strong energetic woman everyone else know.

She got up and started making her way into the kitchen. She could smell the coffee inviting her, and the smell of slightly burned toast.

Her eyes met his chest which came in view the minute she entered the kitchen, and Eric immediately caught sight of her.

'Hey I thought I'd prepare some coffee and toast to start your day' he told her.

'Thank you' she replied walking into the kitchen as she took her place on the usual chair 'Did you have any?' she asked him.

'No I was waiting for you' he replied.

She kept waiting for him to bring up last night's events, the nightmare, the way she had cried in his arms, but he didn't do any of that. Instead he just drank his coffee and spread butter over his toast. She was staring at him, and Eric knew that very well, but he also knew that if he didn't thread carefully she would close up. She was a strong woman, and didn't like having people hovering a lot over her. Sure he was worried about her but he knew that he was going to be around for the rest of the day, and he also knew that their colleagues were going to hover, simply because they cared about her, and she had suffered a tragic trauma yesterday. She didn't need him to hover as well…at least not until things took the wrong turn. He was just going to keep an open eye on her.

She watched him glance at his watch and then take the last sip of his coffee. He got up and washed his mug and the already empty plates.

'So emm…I guess I better get going. I still need to get home and have a shower and be on time for work' Eric told her.

'OK' she whispered as she got up from her chair.

She watched him make his way back into her bedroom, where he still had his clothes, and Eric knew that she was watching him, that she was a bit confused by the way that he was acting, but he also knew it was the right thing to do.

She stayed there in the doorway, leaning against the wooden frame as she watched him get dressed, until Eric turned around to face her.

'I see you at work in an hour?' he asked her.

'Mmhmm' he replied with a nod, and Eric smiled.

He leaned in, one hand cupping the side of her face, his hand resting against the blonde locks, that travelled between his long fingers before he pressed his lips against her forehead.

'I'll see you in an hour Cal' he told her with his dashing smile and Calleigh pressed her lips together and gave him that sweet smile of hers, that only seemed to be reserved for him.

'I'll see you in an hour Delko' she replied with a wink to compliment her smile, and his smile widened at his nickname, before he turned around and made his way out of the door.

Calleigh placed her hand on the nob and then turned around and let herself rest against the wooden thing, as she smiled, still picturing his gorgeous smile on his face, before she watched him fall again, his eyes wide in fear as his hand slipped through her fingers and Calleigh fell down on her knees crying once again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

She was late, and it was not like her. Eric had manage to somehow do it just in time, but she wasn't there and he was beginning to worry. Their colleagues had no idea what happened last night. They had no idea that he slept over at her house, in her bed. That he had held her in his arms while she cried her heart out. He swallowed hard remembering the moment he woke up during the night to find her literally falling to pieces after she had had a nightmare seeing him fall to his death.

'Hey have you seen Calleigh?' Ryan asked as he tapped Eric on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.

'No not yet' Eric replied as he turned around to face his colleague, without giving to much away 'Why she hasn't arrived yet?' he asked.

'Apparently not and she is already thirty minutes late. It's not like her' Ryan replied a bit worried. They all knew about the trauma she went through the previous day with one of their victims, and even though they knew she was a tough woman, they could see that his death had rattled her. They just had no idea how much.

'Maybe she had a sleep in or informed Horazio that she is not coming in' Eric suggested. He wanted their colleagues off her back. He knew that she would be pissed off if people started hovering on her, but that doesn't mean that he was just going to stand there and do nothing.

'Maybe' Ryan told him and with that he continued on his way, leaving Eric alone in the middle of the corridor.

He grabbed his phone and checked for any messages, just in case she had texted him and he hadn't realized yet. No messages. Eric was about to call her when he heard the sound of the elevator opening, so he turned around and saw her standing there. To anyone who didn't know her as much as he did, she looked completely fine. She was well dressed as always, make-up on and her hair looked divine this morning, and her smile was there...just not quite.

'Hey' Eric whispered as she approached him, giving her a smile 'All OK?' he asked her.

'Mmhhmm' she replied with a nod and a smile to compliment it 'I'm fine' she told him.

'Calleigh...' Eric said with a warning tone.

'Really Eric, I'm good' she told him placing her hand on his arm to assure him as she gave him a smile.

'OK. You know if you need anything...' Eric started telling her but she stopped him.

'I know. Now I really have to go' Calleigh told him and with that she went on her way. He watched her turn the corner, knowing full well where she was headed. Her ballistics lab. It was her comfort place. She could get lost in her work and pull herself together. She was the best there is in such expertise, and that made her feel better. Eric sighed not liking how all this was shaping up, but his thoughts soon got interrupted when he received a call from Horazio letting him know about the next crime scene.

oooOOOooo

He hadn't seen much of Calleigh for the remainder of that day nor the coming days for that matter either, and Eric was beginning to feel like she was actually starting to avoid him. It wasn't something she said or anything, just something in his gut feeling. He would text her and she would either not reply or then reply three hours later with just a _fine_ or _good_. She was short in her answers, and that was not their usual way of talking.

He made his way into the kitchen for a quick break and opened the fridge. He was about to close the door of the refrigerator when something caught his eyes. There were three bowls with her name on them, and from the color coded lids, Eric knew that they weren't all today's lunch. He sighed heavily and slammed the door shut just when Ryan was walking in.

'What has that thing done to you man?' Ryan said as he approached him.

'Nothing Wolfe. Mind your own business' Eric replied in a mood now. He was just worried about her. It wasn't just the fact that she wasn't eating. She was being careless. If she wanted to hide it, she would have removed the bowls...but she didn't.

'What's with you today?' Ryan asked sourly.

'Nothing man. Sorry' Eric apologized as he sat down on one of the empty chairs in the kitchen.

'It's Calleigh, isn't it?' Ryan asked. Eric didn't say anything. He just gave Ryan a look which was more than enough for him to understand 'She hasn't been eating man' Ryan told him 'And you just realized that, haven't you? That's why you slammed the door' Ryan told him with a knowing nod.

'I'm just worried about her. It's not like her' Eric told him.

'No it's not' Ryan agreed.

'We'll you excuse me? I need some air' Eric told him and with that he got up from the chair and made his way out. Ryan watched him leave, running his hand through his hair. This tension was one of the reasons co-workers were not supposed to date because when things are not good, it affects the whole thing, he thought. The issue here is that they are not dating...they are just close. Very close. It is way too obvious.

Eric had almost made his turn to the ballistics lab but then he hesitated a bit and made his way out of the building. He really did need some air. Some fresh air to wash away this tension from him, to help him stop thinking about her. He wasn't sure it was really going to help but he could at least try.

He made his way across the road, as he walked with his hands in his pockets towards the railing where there seemed to be fewer people than other areas. He just needed to get away from everything and try to calm down and clear his head, but the first thing that popped up was Calleigh. Her gorgeous face, and then her lying on the floor in that bloody tower. He sighed heavily. He blamed the image on the fact that he was worried about her, but he wasn't entirely sure if that was the reason why it kept popping up in his head. It had woken him up every day since that first night after the accident and hasn't failed once since then.

The fact that she was avoiding him, wasn't helping the issue either. But why? It was really not like her. Why would she avoid him? Is it something he has done? Something he doesn't know about.

'That is it. I can't take this anymore' he told himself as he pushed himself away from the railings and made his way back inside. He was gonna go look for her and settle this. The fact that they were staying away from each other was making things worse.

Eric had just made his way out of the elevator when he heard Calleigh yelling, which was something out of the ordinary. He made his way quickly to where the commotion was to find her pushing Wolfe away.

'Leave me alone Ryan. It is none of your bloody business' Calleigh told him. She looked furious.

'Calleigh I'm just worried about you' Wolfe replied.

'No one asked you to' she replied and with that she was gone, storming away to her ballistics lab for sure this time, failing to acknowledge Eric's presence.

Wolfe didn't though as his eyes met Eric's brown ones the minute he turned around. His face was bright red and Eric couldn't blame him.

'I'll go and talk to her' Eric told him.

'Good luck man' Ryan replied with a raised eyebrow.

Eric made his way to her ballistics lab to find her shooting her guns, supposedly testing evidence, although he could notice that it was only her gun in her hand. He stood there in her doorway, leaning against the frame, without saying a word. Calleigh knew he was there though. He didn't need to speak. She could feel his presence and before she fired her gun again, she had to close her eyes and take a deep breath. She didn't want to do this. She really didn't.

'What do you want?' she asked him.

'You haven't been eating' he told her. Maybe he shouldn't have come out and say it like that exactly but he couldn't help it. He was worried about her, and he knew she was not up for small talk either.

'You spying on me now?' she asked him, still not looking at him.

'No' he sighed 'I'm just worried Calleigh' he told her as he took a step into the lab.

Calleigh fired her gun again and this time even the gun sounded angrier. She slammed her gun in front of her and removed her earphones and turned to look at him. Her face was set, and she looked furious, and Eric knew that this was not going to be good.

'Well you know what? No one asked you to. Just because you spent the night with me, just because I let you see me at my lowest point, doesn't mean you get to act like this and keep an eye on me. I don't need anyone watching me or worrying about me and that includes you' she told him.

Eric was stunned with her words. He had never seen her like that, and most certainly, she had never talked to him like that before, and Eric couldn't understand. He was hurt and speechless, and really had no idea what to do. She looked literally furious, and there was no sign of an apology coming his way either, so Eric turned around and walked away from her without saying a word but not before letting her know exactly how much her words had hurt him. He didn't need to speak. She could see it in his eyes, written all over his face.

She watched him leave and then felt her legs almost give away. She was such a mess. She felt her eyes sting, threatening to get wet, and then that image popped up again, and she could see Eric hanging on for dear life.

'Eric' she whispered.

She grabbed her gun, put the safety lock on, ran towards the lockers to grab her bag and ran to her car, trying to spot him. She needed to follow him and apologize. That image of him in danger, brought her back to reality of how much he really means to her. She was out of line and she should have never spoken to him in that way, but she was angry and furious with everyone trying to baby sit her, that she just snapped.

She got out of the parking lot and soon spotted Eric further ahead speeding away. The sirens weren't on, so he was not going on a mission to save someone or to check out a crime scene. He was just running away from her because of how much she had hurt him.

Calleigh started getting closer to him, speeding that little bit more to get closer, and she could see him answering his call. She kept on following him, and then watched him running into what looked like a big warehouse, the gun in his hands, and Calleigh gasped as the image popped up again.

'Hang in there damn it' she said as she ran out of the car, gun already in her hand ready to use it on anyone who tried to hurt Eric or her.

She walked slowly inside not knowing what she was getting herself into. She only knew she had to protect him, whilst Eric had no idea that she was there either, so that made her in a precarious position.

She hid behind huge amount of boxes, eyes wide open for any sign of Eric or anyone else for that matter, when she suddenly heard guns being fired just as she caught sight of Eric and then a loud bang which shook the whole area. Calleigh tried to steady herself while keep an eye on both Eric and the other guy, but another explosion happened and Calleigh heard Eric yell.

'Eric' she yelled in fear.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Eric's eyes went wide as he heard her voice both in fear and surprise. She had absolutely no idea why he was here in the first place, the danger she could encounter, not to mention how he was holding on to the edge of the platform which had given away in the explosion. He recalled her nightmare, and Eric feared it was coming true. He feared that for his life and her.

'Calleigh' he called out.

'Eric…where are you?' she cried in hide out as she tried to make sure the coast was clear.

'Help me' he cried out.

She heard a gunshot being fired in her direction and discovering the position of the shooter, Calleigh managed to get him with her first shot straight in the head.

'How many people were shooting at you?' she called out.

'One' he replied.

Knowing now that she had gotten the only threat, Calleigh got out from hide out, and tried to spot Eric, when to her biggest fear, she spotted his hands trying to hold onto the iron edge of the platform that seemed to have gotten exposed during the explosion.

'Eric' she cried as she hurried to him, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

It was like déjà vu all over again. It was like her biggest nightmare was coming true. She dropped on her knees and grabbed his arms. Eric wrapped one arm around her hand while with the other one he still held onto the iron edge.

'Calleigh' he cried.

'Hold onto me' she told him firmly, tears slipping down her cheeks. She was about to ask, if anyone knew he was here, when she heard the sound of the sirens approaching, realizing help was on its way, when in the distance she caught sight of a fire building up.

'Hang on' she ordered him.

'I can't Cal. My shoulders are getting tired' he forced out.

'Shut up. Don't you dare let go Delko' she told him as a memory from her nightmare popped up before her eyes. Instinctively, she grabbed onto him even harder when she saw police officers run into the mess of the warehouse.

'Help' she cried 'Over here' she yelled.

It was taking every ounce of strength she had to hold onto him, but there was no way Eric Delko was slipping through her fingers, and meet the same faith William did.

Knowing that the officers caught sight of them and help was on the way, she looked back down in Eric's eyes.

'Hold onto me Eric. Help is coming' she told him.

'Calleigh' he cried. He was scared. He was scared he was going to die and he would have never told her how important she is to him, how much he wanted her.

Calleigh could feel him slipping away in his thoughts so she started talking to him again.

'Eric…Eric look at me' she told him 'Look into my eyes' she cried, when she suddenly felt two officers drop to their knees, and started helping pull Eric up.

Calleigh fell on her back, as Eric fell onto her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he turned them around so he was now onto his back and held onto her, while she cried in his arms.

She could feel his arms tighten his hold on her, his hand stroking her hair as he whispered his gratitude for saving his life.

She pushed herself up so she could look at him, her hands stroking his face, when Eric suddenly pulled her face to his catching her off guard, as he locked his lips with hers. Officers completely forgotten, Calleigh kissed him hard as his tongue slipped into her mouth passionately.

It took the two of them quite a while to suddenly realize they weren't alone, so softly Eric ended the kiss, stroking her face as he pressed his lips to hers.

She let her forehead drop against his, and let the tears run down her face.

'Eric' she cried.

'I'm OK Cal. You saved my life' he told her appreciatively as he stroked the side of her face.

He could feel her body shake in his arms, so while he shifted her a bit, Eric helped himself get up, as he heard the familiar voice of Horatio.

'Delko…Duquesne…everything alright?' he asked.

Calleigh would have jumped at the sound of Horatio's voice if she wasn't too shaken up.

'We're good' he told him while helping Calleigh up and wrapping his arms around her.

'You should go and get checked out' Horatio told them 'I'll ask an officer to drive you' he told them.

'It is fine H. I can drive. I'm fine' Eric told him, tightening his hold onto Calleigh. He was more worried about her than himself. He could feel how out of her mind she was right now. It wasn't something Eric had witnessed a lot before, and it wasn't even remotely close to what comes to your mind when you think about the woman, but the events she recently had to endure and now this, just were a bit too much, even for Calleigh.

Eric informed him briefly on what happened, and about the dead body now probably buried in the rubble there was around and walked them out to his car.

All the while Calleigh had stayed quiet, as thoughts, memories from her nightmare, and pictures of the moment she was holding onto Eric for dear life kept flashing before her eyes.

She felt him take her hand into his, but even though she gave him a smile as she turned her head to look at him, Eric could see the sadness in her eyes. The pain of the reality of almost losing him. She was completely shattered. So shattered that she hadn't even said a word about him kissing her unexpectedly.

It was about an hour and a half later that they were on their way back to her house. The doctor had given Calleigh some anxiety pills just in case she needs them seeing how under shock she still was, and ordered them to rest for the next day at least, mostly for the shock to pass rather because they were injured or anything of the sort.

They made their way to her apartment and Calleigh asked Eric to stay.

'Do you mind if I shower?' she asked him.

'Not at all. Go ahead Cal, I'll prepare coffee' he told her.

Spending some time under the hot running water always helped her recuperate. She knew that she couldn't keep quiet. Eric was starting to worry and there were so many things she wanted to say to him.

Sure it was horrible that Eric had almost lost his life, but what was bothering Calleigh most was the argument they had before. The last time she had spoken to him, she had snapped at him and if she didn't have the sense to follow him, Eric would have gone to the warehouse on his own with no one to save him. The thing was that if they hadn't argued he would have never left and thus be the closest one to the warehouse, arriving before everyone else.

When Calleigh finally made her way out, she found Eric resting against the kitchen counter with his mug in hand and another one waiting for her next to him.

'Hey…better?' he asked her.

'A bit' she replied, taking her mug in her hand now. She sipped some coffee as if to help her find the courage she needed to say everything she wanted to tell him.

'Eric…about earlier' she started telling him.

'Cal, don't worry about it' he told her.

'No Eric I can't. I can't not worry about it' she told him 'If I hadn't followed you after you stormed out of the lab, you would have gone to the warehouse on your own. You would have been in danger and…' and Calleigh trailed off. She couldn't say the words.

'I wouldn't have held it against you, you know' Eric told her.

'I feel horrible about what I said to you in the lab. I had no right to speak to you like that, after how much you took care of me after William's death' Calleigh told him 'I was out of line and I'm sorry' she told him.

'Apology accepted' he told her 'But now don't dwell on it Cal. It's in the past. I'm OK and that is all thanks to you. You wouldn't give up on me' he told her.

'I can never give up on you Eric' she told him. There was a moment of silence until Calleigh finally spoke again 'Would you have given up if I wasn't the one holding onto you?' she asked him curiously.

'Honestly…I don't know' Eric replied even though he knew that that wasn't what she wanted to hear 'My shoulders were killing me and I did feel like I wouldn't hold on any longer…but then on the other hand…you were holding onto me and I couldn't put you through what you went through already with William. I knew deep down that if I fell…you wouldn't have been able to take it this time' Eric told her.

'I was so scared Eric' she told him as she stepped closer, placed the mug onto the counter and slipped her arms round his waist, resting the side of her face against his hard chest.

Eric kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. The thought that he could have lost this moment with her along with so many others crossed his mind and Eric tightened his hold.

'Eric' she whispered.

'Calleigh…' Eric started saying 'About the kiss…' but Calleigh stopped him as she looked up in his eyes, her arms still wrapped around his waist.

'It's fine. Don't sweat it' she told him.

'I just don't want to do anything to ruin our friendship' he told her 'I just wasn't thinking. You had just saved my life and I acted impulsively' he told her.

'Eric it's fine really. You didn't ruin our friendship' Calleigh started telling him 'I don't mind you kissing me like that' she told him looking straight in his eyes.

'You don't?' he asked her a bit surprised.

'No I don't' she replied 'I wanted you to kiss me. I have been wanting you to kiss me actually' she finally admitted.

'You have?' he asked again.

'I have. I do' she told him straight in his eyes.

'You want me to kiss you again?' he asked her and Calleigh nodded.

His hand moved up to cup one side of her face, his thumb stroking her cheek as he felt her lean further into him.

She watched his head lower towards her, his hand stroking the side of her face, his thumb tracing her lips, when their noses touched and she felt his lips brush against hers. He heard her take a deep breath waiting in anticipation and then he locked his lips and Eric pulled her closer to him as they kissed slowly, lovingly, lingeringly each other as built up feelings finally were able to swim in each other's souls.

When they finally broke the kiss, Eric rested his forehead against hers and Calleigh sighed.

'Would you like to come to bed with me and hold me in your arms?' she asked him.

'I do' he replied as she led them into her bedroom.

Eric removed his clothes and remained in just his boxers before he slipped under the sheets, wrapping his arms around Calleigh, pulling her closer to him as they finally slept with no dreams haunting their minds for the first time in days.


End file.
